Makkuro-Kurosuke is a Democratic School with the same educational policy
as what Sudbury Valley School (MA, U.S.A) has.

Japanese regular schools try to control students and to put a lot of information into their heads in a short time. Some parents do not like this system and some children have a hard time fitting into this system. This school is available for the families who have that problem but also want their children to make Japanese friends and experience Japanese culture.

For the Japanese non-native speaking children it would be hard to just
sit at the desks all day long and try to learn Japanese. The best and
easiest way for them to learn Japanese would be to play with Japanese children
and pick up the language by doing a lot of things with them.

We have 30 children (Age5-1８) in this school right now. Some children come
to school from other cities like Himeji, Osaka . Please come and see us!!

*We are not using the curriculums that the Japanese government made.

We have our own way, and we are a N.G.O. (voluntary group).

Age: 4-18

Tuition: \120000～240000 per year

Address: 592 Sakado Ichikawa-cho Kanzaki-gun Hyogo JAPAN

Tel&fax: 0790-26-1129

Mail: makkuro02@yahoo.co.jp

URL: http：//www.geocities.jp/makkurohp/

Take JR Bantan line from Himeji station. Get off at Amaji station which is about 30 min from Himeji. 8 min.walk from Amaji station.

Quiet area surrounded by rice fields. You can make fire or jump on the trampoline in the yard. You can also swim in the river nearby. You can do a lot of outdoor sports in the great nature we have. We use an old Japanese house for the school. We have at home and relaxing atmosphere.

What is a “Democratic School”?

It started with Sudbury Valley School in U.S.A in 1968. The child there
have “freedom and rights” just like adults do and they run the school in
a democratic way. In there they grow up to be responsible adults with independency
and sociality. Right now there are about 30 Democratic Schools in U.S.A.
and other countries like , France Israel, German and Japan are getting
influenced too.

Sudbury Valley School Web-site

Http://www.sudval.org/

The place that the children feel secure, comfortable and excited helps them grow well.

① Each child does what he/she wants to do in his /her own way at his/her own pace.

There are no curriculums or classes set by adults. They learn the most and the deepest when they do things by their own curiosity and their own intuition. By the fact that do they learn to take the initiative in doing things and to be responsible for their own actions.

② We discuss and decide about all of the general things about the school like how we run it or what are the rules at the meeting that all the members can join. All the people (in spite of their ages or their positions) can decide on the things fairly and equally. The children learn to have a good relationship with others and with the school. By that they learn to be responsible for their school and community.

③ By the fact that the children with different ages and staff connect with each other they learn a lot from each other. There are no higher and lower relationship, classes, tests or grades. They learn to get along with all kinds of people by communicating with many different people freely. They learn to respect different people different personalities to get along with people, and to be social all together.

④ Doing is learning. We do not separate playing and talking from studying. Everything is an important lesson to them and nourishing for their growth. By doing a lot of different things every day they absorb what’s necessary for them and keep challenging.

Aren’t the people who are wanted in the 21st century with full of information this kind of people?

l The people who choose and take what are necessary for themselves from a lot of information and knowledge and make it useful and powerful.

l The people who use this world which is getting more and more complicated in the positive way and in their own ways and solve problems.

l The people who care not only about themselves but about other people and about the areas that they live in and who are able to have views for the earth.

Let’s raise our children to be the adults who will make a peaceful world that can last and who will have love and wisdom.

Democratic school system is one of the alternative education systems that a lot of people are playing attention to as, education for every one in freedom.

From Children of Makkuro-Kurosuke

Let’s play together with us!!

You can say where you want to go to play at the daily meeting (your plan) and do it.

Ex: Go to park

Make cake

We plan trips and parties, too.

You can join only what you want to join.

We do these, too!!

*flea markets

*glasswork (lamp work)

*short trip, long trip

*water play

*parties (birthdays, Xmas etc)

*sleep over

*trampoline

*soccer, baseball

*farming (fruits & vegetables)

playing insutruments

We have these clubs, too!!

(You can get together with the other people with the same interests and make clubs.)